WBT

What WBT does

WBT Charlotte's News Talk is a news/talk radio station broadcasting on 107.9 FM and AM frequencies in Charlotte, North Carolina, serving the Charlotte metropolitan area and surrounding North Carolina markets. Established approximately 1976 per the station's own 50th anniversary commemoration in 2026, the station delivers local and national news, conservative political commentary, sports coverage, lifestyle programming, and community information through an extensive lineup that includes flagship shows such as Good Morning BT (Bo Thompson, Beth Troutman), The Pete Kaliner Show, The Brett Winterble Show, Breaking With Brett Jensen, The Vince Coakley Radio Program, The TJ Ritchie Show, and the Carolina Journal News Hour partnership. Distribution spans traditional FM/AM broadcast, wbt.com live streaming, a dedicated iOS/Android mobile app, Amazon Alexa voice-assistant integration, and a podcast library, forming a multi-platform direct-to-consumer media operation.

The operating entity is Interactive One, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Urban One (formerly Radio One), a publicly traded diversified radio conglomerate that owns a Charlotte radio cluster. Revenue is generated primarily through advertising sales—both traditional radio spot and sponsorship inventory aimed at local and national businesses targeting the Charlotte-area audience, and digital advertising on the wbt.com website (display ads, sponsored content, promotional placements). The station supplements ad revenue through station-sponsored live events and concerts at venues such as Truliant Amphitheater (featuring national touring acts including Chicago/Styx, John Mellencamp, and Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band), and through long-form sponsored programs such as the Home Improvement Show (sponsored by Home Depot) and Wealth Over Taxes (sponsored by Infinite Wealth Advisors). Specific advertising rates are not publicly disclosed; headcount is reported in the 101-250 range.

The product surface, beyond broadcast programming, includes 15+ named on-air shows and podcasts, weekend niche programming (Carolina Outdoors, Carolina Focus, David Chadwick, Community Mental Health, Retire(Meant) For Living), live event production, contests, and an email newsletter. Marketing and audience engagement rely on organic social presence (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram), email, push notifications through the mobile app, and the station website. Underlying technology is conventional broadcast infrastructure combined with digital streaming and podcast hosting; no AI/ML capabilities, patents, certifications, or proprietary technology platforms are documented. The station is active, with no regulatory actions, restructuring events, M&A activity, or leadership transitions reported in the available data.

Name

WBT

Legal name

Interactive One, LLC

Website

https://wbt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WBT Charlotte's News Talk (107.9 FM) is a Charlotte, NC news/talk radio station owned by Urban One, delivering conservative commentary, local news, sports, and lifestyle programming via broadcast radio, streaming, mobile app, and podcasts, monetized through advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News/Talk Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), Sports Digital Audio Broadcasts (Live Radio, Play-by-Play, Podcasts) (MPAKAOAG)

Keywords

• News talk radio
• Radio broadcasting
• Conservative talk
• Podcast streaming
• Local news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: Revenue generated from selling radio advertising spots and sponsorships to local and national businesses seeking to reach the Charlotte-area audience
2. Digital Advertising: Revenue from digital advertising on wbt.com website including display ads, sponsored content, and promotional placements

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WBT is a Charlotte-based news/talk radio station broadcasting at 107.9 FM, delivering local and national news, conservative political commentary, sports coverage, lifestyle programming, and community information. The station distributes content through traditional FM broadcast, live website streaming, a dedicated mobile app, podcast platforms, and Alexa-enabled voice assistants, reaching listeners across the Charlotte metropolitan area and surrounding North Carolina markets.

Product overview

WBT Charlotte's News Talk is a news and talk radio station operating at 107.9 FM and AM frequencies in Charlotte, North Carolina. The station operates as a multi-platform media company offering a portfolio of radio programming including morning shows (Good Morning BT with Bo Thompson and Beth Troutman), daytime political talk shows (The Pete Kaliner Show, The Brett Winterble Show), evening breaking news coverage (Breaking With Brett Jensen), and weekend programming (Carolina Outdoors, Carolina Focus, David Chadwick). The station distributes content through traditional broadcast, a dedicated mobile app, podcast streaming, and live event sponsorships. WBT is an Urban One/Radio One brand serving the Carolinas with news, political commentary, sports coverage, and entertainment programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Morning BT: Morning news/talk show hosted by Bo Thompson and Beth Troutman
• Breaking with Brett Jensen

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carolina JournalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to produce the Carolina Journal News Hour on WBT, providing North Carolina political news and analysis through a dedicated weekly program
• Radio One (Urban One)coreOthersWBT is owned and operated by Radio One (also known as Urban One), a large radio broadcasting company with multiple station properties across the United States

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: Large US radio operator with significant news/talk and conservative talk holdings (including Westwood One syndication). Comparable as a multi-market incumbent competing for national ad budgets, syndicated talent, and political ad spending.
• Salem Communications: US radio broadcaster specializing in conservative talk, Christian, and news/talk formats. Closest direct comparable on format positioning and conservative-leaning audience monetization, though operating nationally rather than in a single market.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio broadcaster, operating multiple stations in the Charlotte market and a national news/talk portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping news/talk, conservative talk, and podcast distribution capabilities that compete with WBT for both listeners and ad dollars.
• Audacy: Major US radio broadcaster operating news/talk and sports stations across multiple markets. Comparable in format mix, digital streaming strategy, and podcast monetization model that competes with WBT for listener time and ad inventory.

Emerging players

• Townhall Media: Digital-first conservative news and commentary platform. Emerging competitor to WBT's on-air political commentary for the same conservative audience, with podcast and newsletter distribution that mirrors WBT's digital extensions.

Direct peers

• WFAE: Charlotte's NPR member station operating a news/talk format on the same FM dial in the Charlotte metro. WFAE is WBT's most direct format and market competitor, splitting the local news/talk audience between public radio and commercial conservative talk.
• WFNZ: Charlotte sports talk radio station owned by the same parent company (Urban One). Sister station within the Charlotte cluster — directly comparable in market, ownership structure, and digital distribution model, with a sports rather than news/talk format.

Others

• Premiere Networks: iHeartMedia-owned radio syndication network distributing major conservative talk hosts (Rush Limbaugh archive, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity). Comparable as the dominant syndicator of national conservative talk talent that competes with WBT's local political lineup for both audience share and talent exclusivity.
• Compass Media Networks: Radio syndication and network services company supplying news/talk and sports talk programming to affiliate stations. Comparable as an upstream supplier of syndicated conservative and news talk content that competes with WBT's locally-produced political lineup for affiliate carriage.

Regional players

• WPTF: Raleigh-Durham news/talk radio station with a similar conservative-leaning format serving the other major North Carolina metro. Comparable as a regional NC news/talk peer with overlapping advertising clients and political content sourcing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wbtradio
• Facebookfacebook.com/WBTRadio
• Instagraminstagram.com/wbtradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbt-radio-charlotte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WBT